Our knee service is consultant-led with patients seeing the same consultant from their initial consultation and diagnosis through to surgery and post-discharge care. Our expert orthopaedic surgeons are supported by a fully-equipped diagnostic department offering onsite MRI scanning, x-rays and ultrasound, and work alongside a team of musculoskeletal physiotherapists to help patients return to full mobility as quickly as possible. You don’t need private medical insurance to come to the Rivers knee clinic. If you’re a self-paying patient, you don’t necessarily even need a GP referral. Just call us to arrange an appointment – and we’ll do the rest.
Knee replacement surgery is usually carried out when arthritis has badly affected the knee or the knee has been injured. The cartilage which covers the bony surfaces of the knee joint becomes worn away, which causes pain. The knee may also be visibly swollen. Simple everyday things like going for a walk or tasks around the house become difficult. There’s no cure for arthritis and it can get worse with time.
"A knee replacement is a procedure to remove your damaged knee joint and replace it with an artificial one (a prosthesis or implant). When only some of the joint is damaged, your surgeon may be able to repair or replace just the damaged parts. When the entire joint is damaged, a total knee replacement is done. Your surgeon will choose the implant that best fits your body size and lifestyle."
A knee replacement is normally performed under Spinal Anaesthetic and sedation. The operation usually takes between an hour and an hour and a half.
Your surgeon will make a cut on the front of your knee and remove the damaged joint surfaces. They will replace these with an artificial knee joint made of metal, plastic, ceramic, or a combination of these materials (see figure 1).
An acrylic cement or special coatings on the knee replacement bond it directly to the bone.
Usually, you will stay in hospital for 1-2 days, but your consultant will decide when you are ready to be discharged. River’s also offers a day case service for Total Knee replacement to patients that fit a criteria.
Before Surgery your physiotherapist will give you some exercises to help get your new knee moving. These are important to help you make a good recovery and must be continued on discharge. The therapist will also show you how to walk up and down stairs and make sure you are confident at doing this before you go home.
It’s usual to return to see your consultant as an outpatient after your operation. You may also need to have stitches removed. You’ll be given information about these appointments before you go home. We’ll also give you some pain relief medication to take with you.
When you go home, you may need some help with shopping and household chores. However, it’s also important to gradually increase your physical activity each day, and continue with the exercises the physiotherapist showed you. These will help to reduce stiffness and strengthen your legs. You will need to keep using crutches or a walking stick for a while. Everyone heals differently. You will continue to improve over the next six to twelve months.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a surgical procedure designed to repair a torn or injured ACL, a crucial ligament in the knee. It involves using a graft of new tissue, typically a tendon, taken from another part of your knee to restore stability.
A shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves the use of a small camera, called an arthroscope. It aims to diagnose and treat various conditions affecting the shoulder joint, such as inflammation, injuries, or damaged tissues, and perform necessary surgical interventions.
Elbow arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves the use of a small camera, called an arthroscope. It aims to diagnose and treat various problems inside your elbow joint including elbow pain, stiffness, locking or swelling.
Wrist arthroscopy is a surgical procedure used to diagnose and treat problems inside your wrist joint.
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Bunion surgery is foot surgery performed to realign or remove deformed bones in your big toe and foot caused by a bunion.
Carpal tunnel is nerve compression in the wrist causing pain and numbness. Explore carpal tunnel surgery, a procedure relieving pressure on the median nerve in the wrist to improve hand function and reduced discomfort.
Surgery to remove scar-like tissue from under the skin of the fingers and palm of the hand.
Ganglion removal surgery is performed to surgically cut away a ganglion cyst. It aims to relieve pain, improve joint function and cosmetically enhance the ganglion area.
Hand and wrist surgery is broad ranging orthopaedic specialty. It is normally performed by an orthopaedic consultant with a special interest in hands and wrists to treat several injuries or damages
Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows your surgeon to see inside your hip using a camera inserted through small cuts in the skin. It is used to examine, diagnose and treat problems that are causing pain and/or restricted movement in your hip.
An arthroscopy allows your surgeon to see inside your knee using a camera inserted through small cuts in the skin.
Lumbar discectomy treatment is the removal of the herniated or bulging part of an intervertebral disc in your lower back. It is performed to relieve the pressure the bulging disc is exerting on nearby spinal nerves.
Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows your surgeon to see inside your hip using a camera inserted through small cuts in the skin. It is used to examine, diagnose and treat problems that are causing pain and/or restricted movement in your hip.
Lumbar microdiscectomy surgery, also called microdecompression or microdiscectomy, is a minimally invasive procedure that relieves sciatica leg pain.
Spinal decompression is a type of surgery used to give your spine nerves more space and relieve their compression. “Decompression” usually means removing tissue that is compressing a spinal nerve.
nSTRIDE® APS is a new and proven treatment that processes your own blood sample and injects it back into your knee joint to alleviate osteoarthritis pain.
Orthotics are concerned with customised orthopaedic devices designed to support and align the feet, correcting imbalances and improving posture.
Podiatry surgery is the surgical management of the bones, joints, and soft tissues of your feet and their associated parts.
Revision total hip replacement is hip surgery to repair your artificial hip joint, when your prosthesis has become damaged over time due to normal wear and tear or infection, so that your hip can function normally again.
Shoulder and elbow surgery treats pain and stiffness in your upper limbs that may be due to injury, wear and tear, or a long-term condition. It aims to restore the full use of your shoulder or elbow without pain.
Rotator cuff surgery is shoulder surgery performed to repair torn and damaged tendons and muscles in the rotator cuff of your shoulder and, aims to alleviate shoulder pain and improve functionality.
Surgery for problems of the small toes aims to correct the deformity and prevent it from interfering with your daily activities if simple measures haven’t been successful.
Total shoulder replacement is shoulder surgery to relieve pain, restore motion, and increase strength and function in your shoulder.
Trigger finger is a common and painful condition that restricts your finger or thumb movement. It affects the tendons in your finger or thumb and causes them to lock or catch as they bend towards your palm. Trigger finger release surgery is performed to widen the tunnel that your tendons pass through in your finger or thumb and to resolve a condition known as trigger finger.
A partial knee replacement, also known as unicompartmental knee replacement, is surgery that replaces only one damaged compartment in your knee with implants.
Four years ago Rivers Hospital launched their first Look Good Feel Better workshop. Ladies currently undergoing and also recently finished their cancer treatment join together for a morning of make-up tips, laughter and building new friendships.